e-communications household survey summaryec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/... · 1....

SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER 335 "E-Communications Household Survey”

1

Special Eurobarometer 335 European

Commission

E-Communications Household Survey Summary

Fieldwork: November - December 2009

Publication: October 2010

This survey was requested by the Directorate-General Information Society and Media and coordinated by the Directorate-General for Communication (“Research and Speechwriting” Unit) This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors.

Spe

cial

Eur

obar

omet

er 3

35 /

Wav

e 72

.5 –

TN

S O

pini

on &

Soc

ial


2

Eurobarometer 72.5

E-Communications Household Survey Summary

Conducted by TNS Opinion & Social at the request of Directorate General Information Society and Media

Survey co-ordinated by Directorate General Communication

TNS Opinion & Social Avenue Herrmann Debroux, 40

1160 Brussels Belgium


3

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................5

1. SNAPSHOTS ...............................................................................................8

2. PERCEPTIONS OF E-COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES ..................................12

2.1. Most satisfaction with ease of use and least with cost aspects........................12

2.2. Aspects perceived to have shown improvement over the last three years ........13

3. TELEPHONE ACCESS.................................................................................13

3.1. Almost all households have access to a telephone........................................13

3.2. Overall distribution of fixed and mobile telephone access ..............................13

3.3. Almost two thirds of households have both mobile and fixed access................15

3.4. Access to at least one fixed line has increased overall...................................15

3.5. Mobile access has increased and is widespread across the EU ........................17

3.6. Mobile only access remains stable on average .............................................18

3.7. The use of the Internet to make calls has stabilised .....................................20

4. COMPUTERS AND INTERNET ....................................................................21

4.1. Computer access in the home has increased ...............................................21

4.2. Internet access in the home reflects increases in computer access .................21

4.3. Broadband keeps increasing .....................................................................22

4.4. ADSL continues to grow as the most popular Internet connection...................24

4.5. A third of mobile phone users can access the Internet on their phone .............25

5. SOCIAL NETWORKING..............................................................................26

5.1. A third of European citizens use social networking sites ................................26

5.2. Users tend to visit networking sites at least two or three times per week ........27

6. TELEVISION .............................................................................................28

6.1. Access to a television is almost universal across the EU ................................28

6.2. Reception of the transmission via digital terrestrial television has doubled .......28


4

7. SERVICE PACKAGES .................................................................................30

8. ACCESS TO ONLINE CONTENT/APPLICATIONS.........................................33

8.1. One in five EU households perceive that their Internet provider blocks the access to online content/applications............................................................................33

8.2. The mobile phone capacity and subscription scheme are perceived to limit online access more than the mobile operator ................................................................34

9. AFFORDABILITY.......................................................................................35

9.1. One in two landline users limit their usage because of communication charges.35

9.2. 61% of mobile phone users limit usage because of communication charges .....35

9.3. Those limiting landline and mobile calls are socio-demographically similar .......35

ANNEX

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS


5

INTRODUCTION

This report presents a summary of the full E-communications report and consequently

focuses on the key findings only. Please refer to the full report for the detailed results

of all of the questions included in the survey.

Since the full opening of EU electronic communications markets in 1998, the

consumption of products and services by European households and individuals has

evolved considerably. Driven by technological progress and competition, fixed and

wireless operators and service providers have invested in new and innovative digital

network infrastructures, which have changed the way Europeans access and use public

electronic communications networks.

In this context, the European Commission's Directorate General for the Information

Society and Media regularly carries out opinion surveys to keep abreast of trends in

electronic communications markets and to assess how EU households and citizens

derive benefits from the increasingly competitive and innovative digital environment.

The fieldwork of this survey was carried out between 13 November and 9 December

2009. It is a follow up to surveys carried out in November 2007 - January 20081,

November/December 20062 and December 2005/January 20063.

This survey covers the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU27). The results

are presented for the EU27 and, when significant, also for the fifteen Member States

that were belonging to the EU already before May 2004, referred to as "EU15

countries" (EU15)4 in the report, and for the twelve Member States that became new

EU Members in May 2004 or in January 2007, referred to as "NMS12 countries"

(NMS12)5. Comparisons have been made to the survey conducted in November 2007 –

January 20086 and on occasion to November/December 20067.

1 Special Eurobarometer 293, E-communications Household Survey, http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_293_full_en.pdf 2 Special Eurobarometer 274, E-communications Household Survey, http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_274_en.pdf 3 Special Eurobarometer 249, E-communications Household Survey, http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_249_en.pdf 4 EU15 countries include Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 5 NMS12 countries include Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Republic of Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. 6 Here referred to as winter 2008 survey


6

The data have been weighted on individuals over 15 years of age or EU households

depending on the nature of the question. Indicators are presented at household level

whereas opinion questions have been made representative of the individuals over 15

years of age. The socio-demographic analysis is at both an individual and household

level. The socio-demographic analysis focuses primarily on household composition,

subjective urbanisation, single households and the ageing society.

The main themes addressed in this summary report are:

• The different types of telephone access available within the home

• Internet access within the home

• The use of social networking sites

• Television availability and the way in which the transmission is received

• Uptake of communication packages

The survey was carried out by TNS Opinion & Social network. The interviews were

conducted among 26 761 EU citizens in the 27 Member States of the European Union.

The methodology used is that of the Eurobarometer surveys as carried out by the

Directorate General for Communication (“Research and Speechwriting” Unit)8. A

technical note on the manner in which the interviews were conducted by the Institutes

within the TNS Opinion & Social network is included as an annex to this report. Also

included are the interview methods and confidence intervals9.

Data released as part of this report do not constitute EU official statistical data within

the meaning of the European Statistical Law of February 1997 (Council Regulation

322/97) EU official statistical data relating to the information society are available on

Eurostat’s web site at:

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/themes

7 Here referred to as winter 2007 survey 8 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm 9 The results tables are included in the annex. It should be noted that the total of the percentages in the tables of this report may exceed 100% when the respondent has the possibility of giving several answers to the question.


7

In this report, the countries are represented by their official abbreviations. The

abbreviations used in this report correspond to:

* Data presented in the report are exclusively those of Germany as a whole. However, data for "East" and "West" Germany are also available in the data tables.

ABBREVIATIONS

EU27 European Union – 27 Member States

DK/NA Don’t know / No answer

BE Belgium

BG Bulgaria

CZ Czech Republic

DK Denmark

D-E East Germany

DE Germany*

D-W West Germany

EE Estonia

EL Greece

ES Spain

FR France

IE Ireland

IT Italy

CY Republic of Cyprus

LT Lithuania

LV Latvia

LU Luxembourg

HU Hungary

MT Malta

NL The Netherlands

AT Austria

PL Poland

PT Portugal

RO Romania

SI Slovenia

SK Slovakia

FI Finland

SE Sweden

UK The United Kingdom


8

1. SNAPSHOTS

Penetration rates of Electronic Communication Servicesin the European Union

98%

87%

73%

62%

25%

11%

64%

57%

48%

35%

9%

7%

98%

34%

30%

24%

22%

38%

95%

83%

70%

57%

24%

14%

57%

49%

36%

29%

7%

10%

96%

41%

34%

22%

12%

29%

Overall telephone access

Mobile telephone access

Fixed telephone access

Both fixed and mobile telephone access

Mobile but no fixed telephone access

Fixed but no mobile telephone access

Personal Computer

Internet access at home

Broadband Internet access

ADSL

Cable-modem

Narrowband Internet access

Overall television

Aerial

Cable-TV

Satellite

Digital Terrestrial Television

Service package (bundle)

EB72.5 Nov.-Dec. 2009 EB68.2 Nov.-Dec. 2007


9

Almost every European household has access to a telephone (98%) and more

households have access to a mobile phone (87%).

• Telephone access, which was already high in winter 2008, has continued to

increase, such that 98% of European households now have access to at least

one telephone; either a fixed line, a mobile or both. Access is highest in

Sweden, Malta, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Denmark and Slovenia

where all households have access to at least one telephone.

• Dual access is the most common and has increased since winter 2008, with an

average of 62% of households now having this type of access. However, as in

winter 2008, the discrepancy between EU15 countries and NMS12 countries

remains, with dual access being more prevalent in the EU15 countries (67%)

than the NMS12 countries (38%). At a country level, dual access is highest in

Sweden, where 94% of households reportedly have access to both a fixed and

mobile telephone.

• Mobile only access has remained stable since winter 2008 and penetration

among the NMS12 countries (46%) is more than double that of the EU15

countries (21%). Czech and Finnish households report the highest incidence of

mobile only access, with seven out of ten having mobile only access.

• The proportion of households having access to a mobile telephone has

increased most in the NMS12 countries, out of the top nine countries with the

greatest increases, six are NMS12 countries.

• Households with fixed line access only (11%) represent the smallest proportion

of households in the EU and have declined since winter 2008; the decline is a

reflection of households gaining a mobile and becoming dual access households

instead.

• About one in five EU citizens (22%) use their PC to make calls over the

Internet; this is unchanged since winter 2008. As previously, in the NMS12

countries the incidence of using this technology is double that of the EU15

countries.

• The use of public payphones is in decline; only one in seven (15%) recalled

having used one at all compared to one in five (22%) who had used one in

winter 2008. The main reasons given for using a payphone are because of a

problem with a mobile phone.


10

Household access to a computer (64%) and the Internet (57%) continues to

increase across Europe; however, access is far from equal across countries.

• On average, household computer access has increased by seven percentage

points to 64%. However, there is considerable country variation, the greatest

incidence of household computer access is in the Netherlands (92%), Denmark

(87%) and Sweden (87%), whilst, the lowest incidence is in Bulgaria (37%)

and Romania (42%).

• Over half of EU households have Internet access (57%). There have been

significant increases in Internet access in every country; the increases range

from 3 to 18 percentage points. Not surprisingly, the incidence of Internet

access mirrors computer access; the Netherlands (89%), Denmark (85%) and

Sweden (85%) exhibit the highest incidence of household Internet access and

Bulgaria (35%) and Romania (31%) exhibit the lowest.

• The type of Internet access is shifting towards broadband, with 48% now using

broadband and only 7% using narrowband; the biggest increase in broadband

has been in Ireland (+34 percentage points).

• On average, most (62%) use an ADSL connection to access the Internet. In

comparison, relatively few use the cable network (15%) to access the Internet,

which is the next most common connection type. However, in Bulgaria, Latvia,

Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia more connect via

the cable TV network than via an ADSL connection.

• Those who remain on narrowband, about 7% of households, do so because they

are content with the speed of it but an equal proportion (26%) cite no particular

reason why they have not switched (they “do not know”). The costs of

broadband appear to be less of an obstacle to switching (8%), as well as the

lack of a broadband infrastructure in the local area (16%).

• The majority of Internet users are not considering switching providers in the

short-term; among households with an Internet connection, six out of ten

(59%) have not considered switching Internet providers. Here again, the lack

of competing offers in the local area is not perceived as an obstacle (4%).

• Although Internet access is increasing (+8), 43% of households still do not

have access in the home. The majority of those without access claim that it is

because no one is interested in the Internet (58%). However, the various costs

associated with the Internet are also cited as obstacles to access, although to a

lower extent (19%).


11

Almost every EU household has access to a television (98%).

• On average, 98% of EU households have access to a television; access is lowest

in Finland at 93%.

• The means by which the TV transmission is received is changing. About a third

uses an aerial (34%) or the cable network (30%) to receive the TV

transmission but these proportions are declining (-7 and -4 respectively). The

use of digital terrestrial TV has doubled since winter 2008 and a quarter now

receives their transmission this way (23%). A further quarter uses satellite to

receive the TV transmission (24%).

• At a country level, aerial usage dominates in Greece (95%), as it has done in

previous surveys. Digital terrestrial reception has increased most dramatically

in Spain (+48), where it now accounts for reception in six out of ten homes.

Satellite reception is most prevalent in Austria (49%) and Germany (47%),

where cable TV is also used in equal proportions. However, cable is used most

by the Dutch (75%). Only in France and Slovenia is use of the telephone

network and modem to receive television notable at 19% and 10% respectively.

Finally…

• Service packages are becoming increasingly popular with a third of EU

households (38%) now subscribing to a package that includes two or more

services. The proportion subscribing to packages either remained stable or

increased in each country, there were no decreases in uptake.

• The most popular packages are those including an Internet access; 57% of

Internet access services are provided by mean of a bundled package.

• Concerns about data safety have increased, with 84% of EU citizens wanting to

be informed if their personal data was lost, stolen or altered in any way.

Respondents in Greece, Sweden, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and

Malta are the most concerned (nine out of ten want to be informed) and those

in Lithuania and Romania are the least concerned (seven out of ten).

• Concern about misuse of data on social networking sites appears divided (45%

worried versus 44% not worried). However, there is clearly an age divide, with

more respondents under 24 years of age not worried whereas more

respondents over 40 years of age are worried.

• Use of paper telephone directories still dominates (66%) over telephone (49%)

and online (43%) versions but use of both paper and telephone directories are

declining. The use of online is growing (+3 percentage points since winter


12

2008), with use significantly higher among the EU15 countries (46%) than

among the NMS12 countries (28%).

2. PERCEPTIONS OF E-COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

2.1. Most satisfaction with ease of use and least with cost aspects

Respondents were asked their overall opinions of all the “e-com services” (such as

fixed and mobile telephony, the Internet and digital TV) that their household uses as

well as their perception of any improvement over the last three years in order to

evaluate their perceptions of e-communications services.

More than three quarters of citizens (77%) are satisfied (either very or fairly) with the

ease of use of services and only 9% are dissatisfied (either not very or not at all).

Whereas about two thirds (64%) are satisfied with the pricing schemes and total

budget of e-com services and two out of ten are dissatisfied with these aspects.

Respondents are marginally more satisfied with their ability to control the household’s

expenditure, with 69% being satisfied.

QA26 Overall, thinking about all the “e-com services” such as fixed and mobile telephony, the Internet and digital TV, that your household uses, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very

satisfied or not at all satisfied with the …? - EU

13%

13%

17%

15%

22%

50%

51%

56%

55%

18%

16%

12%

9%

7%

4%

4%

8%

7%

6%

52% 3%

10%

9%

9%

8%

8%

7%

7%Total budget of these services

Pricing schemes adapted to yourhousehold’s needs

Ability to control your household’sexpenditure

Offer of new services

Ease of use of these services

Very satisfied Fairly satisfied

Not very satisfied Not at all satisfied

Not Applicable (SPONTANEOUS) DK


13

Satisfaction with the offer of new services (71%) is similar to that of their ability to

control the household’s expenditure. However, dissatisfaction (11%) is more similar to

that of ease of use of new services (9%).

2.2. Aspects perceived to have shown improvement over the last three

years

Forty four percent believe that ‘offer of new services’ has improved compared to the

three years ago and only 7% believe that it has worsened. 'Ease of use' ranks second,

with almost four in ten (38%) feeling there has been an improvement and only 6%

believing ease of use is worse.

As with satisfaction, pricing and cost aspects of e-communications are

perceived less favourably than ease of use and the offer of new services. Only

about a third or less believe there has been an improvement in each of these attributes

in the last three years and one in ten or more believe that each has worsened.

3. TELEPHONE ACCESS

3.1. Almost all households have access to a telephone

Almost all households in the EU (98%) have access to a telephone, either mobile or

fixed. Although access to telephones was already high in winter 2008 (95%), this

represents a significant increase since the previous survey.

Access is highest in Sweden, Malta, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Denmark

and Slovenia where 100% households have access to at least one telephone. At the

lower end we find Romania standing at 85%, as it was in the last survey in winter

2008.

3.2. Overall distribution of fixed and mobile telephone access

Since the last survey, the type of telephone access households have available has

changed slightly. Now, more households have access to both fixed and mobile

telephones, with almost two thirds having both fixed and mobile telephones compared

to 58% in winter 2008. This is due to a shift from fixed telephones only to a


14

combination of fixed and mobile telephones. A quarter of EU households have mobile

telephone access only, which is unchanged since the last survey.

Overall telephone access - EU

61% 60%58%

62%

18%15%

18%

22%25% 25%

2%

11%

14%

3% 3%3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

EB64.4Dec. 2005 -Jan. 2006

(Results forEU25)

EB66.3Nov.-Dec. 2006



Households combining a fixed and mobile telephone access

Households having a fixed telephone access but no mobile telephone access

Households having a mobile telephone access but no fixed telephone access

Households not having fixed telephone access nor mobile telephone access

It is notable that for the first time since the survey began (since December 2005), the

average proportion of EU households with mobile telephone access only has ceased

to grow and is now constant at 25%, equal to that observed in winter 2008; compared

to 22% in Winter 2007 and 18% in winter 2006. As in previous surveys, mobile only

access is greatest in the NMS12 countries where on average 46% have mobile only

access compared to 21% of households in the EU15 countries


15

3.3. Almost two thirds of households have both mobile and fixed access

Since winter 2008, more EU households have gained access to both fixed and mobile

telephones in their homes (an increase of four percentage points overall). The

greatest increases have been in Portugal, Lithuania and France where increases have

been in excess of ten percentage points. At the other extreme, the greatest decreases

have been in the Czech Republic (-6 percentage points), Malta (-5), Poland (-5) and

Finland (-4).

An analysis of the current situation shows that dual access is the most

prevalent connection type across the EU with almost two thirds of households

having both fixed and mobile access. Households with fixed and mobile telephone

access are most prevalent in Sweden where more than nine out of ten have access to

both. Dual access is also high in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Malta where 85%

to 80% have access to both.

Finnish and Czech households have the least access to both types of telephones (about

two in ten) because most are using mobile phones only. Access to both fixed and

mobile phones is also relatively low in Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia, around a third

have dual access. As in Finland and the Czech Republic this is primarily because

households in these countries are using mobile phones only (mobile only usage in

Lithuania and Slovakia is amongst the highest in the EU, at 52% and 59%). Whilst in

Romania there is also a considerable proportion of mobile only usage (39%) there is

also 15% of households without telephone access and 13% with fixed line access only.

3.4. Access to at least one fixed line has increased overall

The previous decline10 in fixed telephone lines appears to be in reverse. Access to

fixed telephone lines has improved overall since winter 2008, by three

percentage points, to 73%. Portugal and Lithuania have demonstrated the most

important increases, with 14 and 11 percentage point increases respectively. Fixed

line access has also improved notably in Germany, Hungary and Italy, where eight

percentage point increases are apparent in each country. In Finland and Poland the

opposite is the case, with declines of 13 and 10 percentage points respectively.

10 Winter 2008: EU average 70%, Winter 2007: EU average 72%.


16

These evolutions mean that almost three quarters of citizens in the EU have at

least one fixed telephone line. However, there are significant differences between

the EU15 countries and NMS12 countries, with an average of 78% of the EU15

countries households having fixed line access and only 48% of the equivalent

households across the NMS12 countries having fixed line access.

Penetration of fixed telephone lines is greatest in Sweden, Malta, and Luxembourg

where more than nine out of ten citizens in these countries have access to a fixed line

in their household. Access is lowest in the Czech Republic and Finland; in these

countries mobile telephone access is more prevalent than fixed line (mobile access

only 73% and 71% respectively).

Households having fixed telephone access (Comparison with EB68.2 Nov.-Dec. 2007)


17

3.5. Mobile access has increased and is widespread across the EU

Access to mobile telephones has increased across the EU since winter 2008 by four

percentage points, to an 87% penetration rate. Significant increases in access to

mobile telephones since winter 2008 are visible across half of Europe. The greatest

increases have been in Bulgaria (+10), Spain (+9) and Slovakia (+8) where the

increases have been about double the EU average. The NMS12 countries appear to

be experiencing the greatest increases, out of the top nine countries that

showed the greatest increases, six are from the NMS12 countries. Only Malta

exhibited a significant decrease in the proportion of households with mobile telephone

access (-3).

Households having at least one mobile telephone access (Comparison with EB68.2 Nov.-Dec. 2007)


18

On average, almost nine out of ten people have access to a mobile telephone (87%)

and eleven of the 27 EU countries have mobile penetration above 90%. Even in

those countries with the lowest penetration, more than seven out of ten

households have access to at least one mobile telephone (72% in Romania

and 78% in Bulgaria).

3.6. Mobile only access remains stable on average

Overall, the average penetration of mobile telephone access only across the EU is

unchanged since winter 2008, with a quarter of citizens still having mobile access only.

However, access has increased in twenty countries since winter 2008 and

declined in only six.

As one can observe in the following map, there has been considerable movement at

country level in the proportion of citizens with mobile only access. Slovakian (+12),

Polish (+12), Danish (+10), Finnish (+10) and Czech (+9) respondents exhibited the

greatest increases in mobile only access since winter 2008. Conversely, mobile only

access declined most in Portugal (-7), Hungary (-6), France (-5) and Italy (-5).


19

Households having mobile telephone access but no fixed telephone access (Comparison with EB68.2 Nov.-Dec. 2007)

Mobile only access is more prevalent in the NMS12 countries (46%) than in the

EU15 countries (21%).

Mobile only access is greatest in the Czech Republic and Finland where about seven in

ten only have mobile access. Access to mobile telephones only is lowest in Malta and

Sweden, where respectively 5% and 1% of households have mobile access only. In

these countries dual access dominates instead, with 94% and 80% respectively having

access to both fixed and mobile telephones.


20

3.7. The use of the Internet to make calls has stabilised

About one in five EU households use the home PC to make calls over the

Internet (22%), which is the same as winter 2008.

In the NMS12 countries, the incidence of making calls over the Internet is about

double (37%) that of the EU15 countries (19%). However, compared to winter 2008

the average incidence across the NMS12 countries (43%) has declined by six

percentage points but there has been no equivalent change in to the average incidence

of the EU15 countries (18%).

However, at a country level there have been some interesting country changes since

winter 2008. The greatest declines in the incidence of those using their PC to make

calls over the Internet are in Poland (-14), Romania (-7) and Italy (-7). Conversely,

the greatest increases in the incidence of those using this solution to make calls has

been in Cyprus (+17), Latvia (+10), Bulgaria (+9), Lithuania (+7), Sweden (+7) and

Ireland (+7).

The highest incidence of making calls over the Internet using a PC at home is in

Lithuania and Latvia, where around six in ten households are doing so (65% and 61%

respectively). The lowest incidence is in Portugal, where only about one in twenty are

doing the same (6%).


21

4. COMPUTERS AND INTERNET

4.1. Computer access in the home has increased

Overall, computer access in the home is increasing across the EU; the proportion of

households having a computer has increased by seven percentage points on average.

Almost two thirds of EU households have a computer. On average, computer

ownership is greater in the EU15 countries, with two thirds (66%) of households

having a computer compared to just over half (53%) of the NMS12 countries.

The greatest incidence of computers in home is in the Netherlands, Denmark and

Sweden, where about nine out of ten households have a computer. Conversely, the

lowest incidence is in Bulgaria and Romania where the proportion with a computer in

home is less than half that in the Netherlands, Denmark or Sweden.

4.2. Internet access in the home reflects increases in computer access

On average, Internet access in the home has increased (+8 since winter 2008) in a

similar magnitude to computer access in the home, with an eight percentage point

increase overall, to 57%. However, unlike computer access in the home, Internet

connection in the home has increased in every EU country by at least three percentage

points.

The greatest increases in Internet home connections are in Slovakia (+18), Greece

(+17), Hungary (+16) and Poland (+15). The smallest increases in Internet

connections at home are in the Netherlands (+3), Malta (+3), Austria (+4), the Czech

Republic (+4) and Belgium (+4). Only in the Netherlands can it be reasoned that

because the proportion of citizens with access already is large any future incremental

increases are liable to be small.

In the EU15 countries 59% of households on average have access to the Internet

compared to only 45% in the NMS12 countries.

As with computers in the home, the same countries exhibit the greatest

Internet access at home (the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden), 89% to 85% of


22

households in these countries have access. Internet access is the lowest in Romania

(31%) and Bulgaria (35%) where the incidence of home computers is also the lowest.

4.3. Broadband keeps increasing

The availability of broadband Internet access at home is increasing across the EU (+12

since winter 2008). The most marked improvement has been in Ireland, where a third

of citizens have gained broadband access at home since winter 2008 (+34).

All countries have shown increases in broadband Internet access since winter 2008,

the lowest increase is in the Netherlands (+2) where the greatest incidence already

exists, followed by Belgium (+3).

About half EU households have broadband Internet access (48%); however

broadband access is clearly more prevalent in the EU15 countries than in the

NMS12 countries. Of the twelve countries with broadband incidence above the EU

average only three are NMS12 countries (Estonia, Malta and Slovenia); the remaining

nine are all EU15 countries.

The highest level of broadband Internet access is in the Netherlands (79%), Denmark

(76%) and Sweden (76%), where the incidence of home PC and Internet access is also

the highest in the EU. Romanian and Bulgarian citizens have the lowest incidence of

broadband access at home, which corresponds to the low incidence of computer and

Internet access, only a quarter of citizens (25% and 27% respectively) have

broadband Internet access at home.

Use of narrowband is declining across the EU (7%). On average, across the EU

there has been a three percentage point decline in household narrowband Internet

access. EU citizens are moving away from the relatively basic, narrowband connection

and towards the faster, broadband connection.

In 12 of the 27 countries surveyed there has been a decline in the proportion of

households with narrowband access (a decline of three percentage points or more).

The greatest decline is in Ireland (-16), where there has been the greatest increase in

broadband access. The only significant increase in narrowband since winter 2008 has

been in Lithuania (+4).


23

Broadband dominates the share of Internet connections in every EU country.

In Malta, broadband access dominates exclusively and barely anyone is using

narrowband.

Lithuania (31%) and Germany (25%) have the greatest incidence of using

narrowband, although broadband dominates nonetheless. Latvia, Austria, Cyprus,

Luxembourg, Italy and Slovenia have the next greatest narrowband proportion of

narrowband connections, with between 17% and 15% each.

Households having broadband Internet access


24

4.4. ADSL continues to grow as the most popular Internet connection

ADSL continues to dominate broadband Internet connections, with almost two thirds

(62%) of those with an Internet connection at home using this type of connection (+3

percentage points since winter 2008). Access in this way is highest in the France and

Spain, with 85% and 80% of respondents using this type of Internet access

respectively. ADSL is the main connection type in 19 of the 27 countries surveyed.

The second most popular type of connection is the use of the cable TV

network to obtain broadband Internet access, which is unchanged since winter 2008

(+1). One in seven respondents (15%) use the cable TV network to obtain broadband

Internet access. In Bulgaria (36%), Latvia (32%), Lithuania (34%), Hungary (54%),

Poland (30%), Portugal (50%), Romania (44%) and Slovakia (27%) the cable TV

network is the main type of broadband connection. However, it must be noted that the

overall broadband penetration in these eight countries is below the EU average.

In terms of narrowband, both dial up using a standard telephone line and using

an ISDN line have declined since winter 2008 (-5 and -3 percentage points

respectively). The incidence of dial up using a standard telephone line and using a

standard ISDN line is relatively low at 7% and 5% respectively of all those with an

Internet connection at home. The two countries which remain the biggest users of

narrowband dominate these connection types; Lithuania is the biggest user of dial up

using a standard line (25%) and Germany is the biggest user of dial-up using an ISDN

line (16%).

Use of the mobile phone network (via an Internet card or USB modem that is plugged

into the computer or a computer connected to the Internet via a mobile phone or

directly via the mobile phone itself) to connect to the Internet at home has not

increased significantly (5%, +1 percentage points). Usage is greatest in Austria

(15%), Ireland (15%), Poland (14%) and Slovakia (14%) where about one in seven

are connecting to the Internet using the mobile phone network11.

11 Please bear in mind that the survey tackles two different issues regarding mobile Internet connections. On the one hand the results presented in this chapter on the usage of the mobile phone network to connect to the internet at home and on the other hand the mobile subscriptions allowing connecting to the Internet. It is not because people have a mobile phone allowing them to surf on the Internet that they mainly use this device to connect to the Internet when they are at home.


25

Use of the satellite network remains very low (+1 since winter 2008) with only 2% on

average connecting through the satellite network. However, in the Czech Republic and

Slovakia use is notable with 19% and 14% of those with the Internet at home

respectively using this approach.

There has been some spontaneous recall of accessing the Internet via optical fibre

lines. Access via optical fibre lines is relatively low overall (1%); however, it is

relatively high in Romania and Bulgaria, with 16% and 12% of those with Internet

access connecting this way.

4.5. A third of mobile phone users can access the Internet on their phone

A third of respondents (33%) have a mobile phone with a subscription that allows

them access to the Internet to play or download audio/video content and send/receive

emails. This type of mobile Internet subscription is most common among Swedish

mobile phone users, with about six in every ten mobile users (58%) having Internet

access as part of their mobile subscription. At the other extreme, Romanian and

Bulgarian mobile phone users are the least likely to have such a subscription, with one

in seven or less having the same type of Internet subscription (12% and 15%

respectively).


26

5. SOCIAL NETWORKING

5.1. A third of European citizens use social networking sites About a third of EU citizens (35%) are using social networking websites and two thirds

do not use them at all (63% "Never" use them or do not have Internet access).

The incidence of usage is greatest in Latvia where almost six out of ten respondents

(57%) are using social networking websites. Usage is next highest in the Netherlands,

Denmark and Sweden where about five out of ten respondents are using them.

Conversely, usage is lowest in Romania, where only two in ten use such websites.


27

The highest incidence of “never using social networking sites” is among German and

Spanish respondents, of whom almost six out of ten claim they would never use one,

compared to the EU average of 49%. The lowest incidence of respondents never using

social networking sites is in Latvia and Hungary, with only about a quarter stating the

same.

Age seems to be the biggest socio-demographic factor distinguishing those who use

social networking websites. Among those who use social networking websites every

day, 15-24 years olds and students are most prevalent, whilst among those who would

never use a social networking website the most prevalent are over 40 year olds and

the retired.

5.2. Users tend to visit networking sites at least two or three times per week

Social networking sites tend to be used frequently, with 57% of users visiting them at

least two or three times a week, whereas, less than a quarter (23%) is using them

once a week or a couple of times a month.

Users of social networking websites in Cyprus, Malta, Sweden, Latvia and Finland are

the most frequent users of social networking sites, with between 59% and 53% using

them every day or almost every day. The lowest incidence of frequent users is in

Romania, with only 11% using them every day or almost every day and furthermore

only 11% using them two or three times a week.

The incidence of using social networking website two or three times per week is

greatest in Hungary, Spain and Italy where about a third (between 34% and 30%)

access social networking sites this often.

Those who use social networking websites less often than two or three times per

month are most prevalent in Romania, where almost half of the users exhibit this type

of usage (47%). Conversely, one of the countries with a high incidence of frequent

users, Latvia, has the lowest incidence of occasional users, at 5%.


28

6. TELEVISION

6.1. Access to a television is almost universal across the EU

On average, 98% of EU households have access to a television. There is little variation

within the EU but the greatest access is within Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Hungary and

Slovakia where 100% of households have access to a television. The lowest incidence

of households having access to a television remains in Finland, at 93% (+1 percentage

point compared to winter 2008). Latvia has the next lowest incidence at 96%.

6.2. Reception of the transmission via digital terrestrial television has

doubled

Means of receiving the television - EU(Base: Those having a television in the household)

50%

45%

41%

34%33%35%

22% 21% 22%

4%

30%34%

24%

23%

7%

12%

5%

2%2%2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

EB64.4Dec. 2005 -Jan. 2006

(Results forEU25)




An aerial (on the roof or on the top of the TV set)A cable TV networkSatellite TV via a satellite dish

Digital Terrestrial Television (aerial + decoder)The telephone network + modem


29

Receiving analogue TV signals via an aerial continues, along with cable TV (analogue

and digital), to be the main means of television reception in the EU, with 34% and

30% of EU households respectively using these means of reception, followed by

satellite (24%) and digital terrestrial television (23%). However, there is a clear

decline in the use of aerials (-7 since winter 2008) and to a lesser extent of cable (-4).

The greatest increase has been in the numbers using digital terrestrial television,

which have almost doubled since winter 2008 to 23% (+11).

Eight countries have seen double digit growth in the incidence of digital terrestrial

television since winter 2008; specifically in Spain (+48), Italy (+25), Czech Republic

(+19), Belgium (+18), France (+14), Estonia (+12), Malta (+11) and Romania (+10).

The use of digital terrestrial TV now dominates in Spain with six out of ten using

it compared to the EU average of just over two out of ten (+48 percentage points since

winter 2008). The next highest incidence of digital usage is in France at 35% (+14),

followed by Italy at 33% (+25), Sweden at 32% (-4) and the UK at 31 (=).

In terms of aerial usage (i.e. for the reception of analogue TV signals), Greece

has the highest incidence of usage, with almost all households still using this

approach, followed by Cyprus, Italy, Spain and France. The lowest incidence is in the

Netherlands where no households use an aerial, instead the majority (three quarters)

receive their television through a cable TV network. Whereas the Greeks are the

lowest users of a cable TV network, with only 1%.

A further 24% of European households is receiving their television transmission

through satellite TV via a satellite dish. Receiving television through satellite TV is

most prevalent in Austria (49%) and Germany (47%). Interestingly, in both Austria

and Germany equal proportions of households use satellite and cable TV to receive the

television transmission in each country. Satellite TV has shown the greatest percentage

point growth in Ireland (+11) and Poland (+11) since winter 2008. The Greeks are

also the lowest users of satellite TV.

Use of the telephone network and modem to receive television remains relatively low

at 4% overall. However, in France it has grown as a means of reception since winter

2008 to 19% (+13 percentage points). Use in Slovenia has doubled to 10%.


30

7. SERVICE PACKAGES

Service packages are increasingly popular; four in ten households (38%) buys a service package

Packages of two or more services are most common in the Netherlands (60%). About

half of the households in Denmark, Estonia and France also buy two or more services

as part of a bundle. The lowest incidence of bundle purchasing is recorded in Finland,

where only 13% of households buy services in this way. This should be seen in the

light of the fact that 71% of Finnish households do not have fixed telephony. We will

see later that fixed telephony is one of the principal components of bundles.


31

All countries exhibited an increase in adoption of packages; only Latvia remained

stable; there were no decreases in uptake of packages. Malta demonstrated the

largest percentage point increase since winter 2008 in households subscribing to

packages with two or more services (+31).

The following table shows the type of products those using bundles are receiving in

their packages.

Packages are dominated by Internet and fixed telephone access, with 86% and 80% of

packages providing these services. However, since winter 2008, Internet access has

grown by three percentage points while fixed telephone access has declined by three

percentage points. The greatest service increase has been in the provision of

television channels as part of the package, which has increased by six percentage

points to 47%. Mobile phones represent the smallest service provided as part of a

package, at 22% of all packages.

Given that the most popular bundles include a fixed line, it is not surprising that the

lowest incidence of bundles is in Finland, where the incidence of mobile only usage is

among the highest.

Further analysis shows that in most of the countries with a high rate of broadband

Internet access (the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, France, Luxemburg, Malta, the

United Kingdom and Belgium) a high rate of bundling is observed.


32

Although the proportion of bundles with fixed telephone and Internet access are

similar, the impact on the market is considerably different: of those who currently

access the Internet, almost six out of ten (57%) are doing so as part of a service

package. Whereas, only about four out of ten (42%) are obtaining their fixed line as

part of a package.

Shares of services bought as part of a service package- EU

57%

42%

Internet Access

Fixed Telephony


33

8. ACCESS TO ONLINE CONTENT/APPLICATIONS

8.1. One in five EU households perceive that their Internet provider blocks the access to online content/applications

About one in five Europeans households that have Internet access agree that their

access to certain online content and applications is blocked by their Internet provider12.

By far the highest rate of agreement with this is seen in Portugal, where 43% of

respondents agree, as do about a third in Cyprus (37%), Italy (35%), Ireland (33%),

Slovakia (32%) and Greece (31%). On the other hand, it is much less of a problem in

Sweden and Latvia (both 14%), the Czech Republic (12%) and the Netherlands (10%).

Base: Those who have Internet in the household EB72.5, n = 16244

12 Note that this question measures the user's perceptions of online content and application blocking. It is possible that the blockage or limitation in the user's experience could also be the result of a problem located above the access level in the Internet value chain, or due to end-user’s terminal setup and capabilities.


34

8.2. The mobile phone capacity and subscription scheme are perceived to limit online access more than the mobile operator

36% of respondents are limited in the online content and applications they can access

through their mobile phone by its capacity. Those most limited by their mobile phone

capacity are found in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, where

58%, 51% and 47% of respondents respectively are limited by their mobile phone

capacity. The proportion of respondents using the mobile network to access the

Internet in Slovakia is currently among the highest (14%) while in the Czech Republic

and the United Kingdom this figure falls neither towards the top or the bottom of the

scale, at 5% and 8% respectively.

QA4 For each of the following situations, please tell me if it applies to you or not? - EU(Asked to respondents saying that they own a personal mobile phone with an access to the

Internet - base = 7612)

21%

32%

36%

The accessibility to certainonline content and

applications is blocked byyour mobile operator

The accessibility to onlinecontent and applications islimited by the subscription

scheme you have contractedwith your mobile operator

The accessibility to onlinecontent and applications isconstrained by the limited

capacity of your mobile phone

Yes

Nevertheless, of the three potential limitations to Internet accessibility, phone capacity

appears to be the primary restriction, closely followed by the subscriptions scheme the

user is contracted to; about a third agree with each statement. Restrictions imposed

by the mobile operator are felt to be the least likely to be limiting Internet

accessibility, but still one in five are agreeing that providers are blocking access to

certain online content and applications.

Respondents in Slovakia, France and the Czech Republic are most likely to believe that

their subscription limits their access to online content and applications. In Slovakia,

two thirds of respondents (66%) believe that their subscription limits online access.


35

9. AFFORDABILITY Interestingly, Irish and Bulgarian respondents are among the most likely to limit both

mobile and landline calls because they are concerned about communication charges.

While, the Austrians and Dutch are among the least likely to limit either mobile or

landline calls because of concerns about communication costs.

9.1. One in two landline users limit their usage because of

communication charges Around a third of all EU citizens (equivalent to 49% of those with a landline at home)

limit their landline calls because they are concerned about charges. The respondents

most likely to limit landline calls are found in Bulgaria (72%), Ireland (65%), Poland

(63%) and Greece (61%). The least likely are Austrian (33%), Finnish (32%), Danish

(30%), Swedish (25%) and Dutch (20%) respondents.

9.2. 61% of mobile phone users limit usage because of communication

charges

Irish respondents, more than three quarters of whom limit their mobile phone calls

because of their perceptions of call charges, are the most concerned. Bulgarian and

Greek respondents follow, with about three quarters of respondents feeling the same.

Austrian respondents are the least concerned about limiting their mobile phone calls

because of the communication charges, with only 30% restricting their calls in this

way. Finnish respondents are also relatively unconcerned about the communication

costs, with only about a third (37%) limiting their calls because of such concerns.

9.3. Those limiting landline and mobile calls are socio-demographically

similar People with difficulties paying their bills most of the time or positioning themselves at

the bottom of the social scale are more likely to limit their landline or mobile calls

because they are concerned about communication charges than people in other

categories. Age seems to have a minor impact on sensitivity to landline communication

charges either mobile or landline.

ANNEXES

SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER N°335 “E-communications household survey”


Between the 13th of November and the 9th of December 2009, TNS Opinion & Social, a consortium created between TNS plc and TNS opinion, carried out wave 72.5 of the EUROBAROMETER, on request of the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Directorate-General for Communication, “Research and Speechwriting”. The SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER N°335 is part of wave 72.5 and covers the population of the respective nationalities of the European Union Member States, resident in each of the Member States and aged 15 years and over. The basic sample design applied in all states is a multi-stage, random (probability) one. In each country, a number of sampling points was drawn with probability proportional to population size (for a total coverage of the country) and to population density. In order to do so, the sampling points were drawn systematically from each of the "administrative regional units", after stratification by individual unit and type of area. They thus represent the whole territory of the countries surveyed according to the EUROSTAT NUTS II (or equivalent) and according to the distribution of the resident population of the respective nationalities in terms of metropolitan, urban and rural areas. In each of the selected sampling points, a starting address was drawn, at random. Further addresses (every Nth address) were selected by standard "random route" procedures, from the initial address. In each household, the respondent was drawn, at random (following the "closest birthday rule"). All interviews were conducted face-to-face in people's homes and in the appropriate national language. As far as the data capture is concerned, CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interview) was used in those countries where this technique was available.

ABBREVIATIONS COUNTRIES INSTITUTES N°

INTERVIEWS FIELDWORK

DATES POPULATION

15+

N° OF HOUSEHOLDS

BE Belgium TNS Dimarso 1.003 19/11/2009 07/12/2009 8.866.411 4.523.391 BG Bulgaria TNS BBSS 1.007 13/11/2009 23/11/2009 6.584.957 2.866.000 CZ Czech Rep. TNS Aisa 1.096 14/11/2009 27/11/2009 8.987.535 4.479.255 DK Denmark TNS Gallup DK 1.008 14/11/2009 09/12/2009 4.503.365 2.563.903 DE Germany TNS Infratest 1.522 13/11/2009 02/12/2009 64.545.601 37.751.871 EE Estonia Emor 1.000 13/11/2009 06/12/2009 916.000 544.000 IE Ireland TNS MRBI 1.014 13/11/2009 29/11/2009 3.375.399 1.469.521 EL Greece TNS ICAP 1.000 14/11/2009 03/12/2009 8.693.566 4.221.000 ES Spain TNS Demoscopia 1.023 13/11/2009 06/12/2009 39.059.211 17.020.860 FR France TNS Sofres 1.005 13/11/2009 08/12/2009 47.620.942 26.734.000 IT Italy TNS Infratest 1.039 13/11/2009 29/11/2009 51.252.247 23.902.000 CY Rep. of Cyprus Synovate 502 13/11/2009 04/12/2009 651.400 270.300 LV Latvia TNS Latvia 1.004 13/11/2009 30/11/2009 1.448.719 838.400 LT Lithuania TNS Gallup Lithuania 1.027 13/11/2009 29/11/2009 2.849.359 1.356.826 LU Luxembourg TNS ILReS 502 13/11/2009 05/12/2009 404.907 187.000 HU Hungary TNS Hungary 1.017 13/11/2009 30/11/2009 8.320.614 3.862.702 MT Malta MISCO 500 13/11/2009 04/12/2009 335.476 139.583 NL Netherlands TNS NIPO 1.004 13/11/2009 06/12/2009 13.288.200 7.202.000 AT Austria Österreichisches Gallup-Institut 1.001 13/11/2009 01/12/2009 6.973.277 3.566.000 PL Poland TNS OBOP 1.000 14/11/2009 02/12/2009 32.306.436 14.191.532 PT Portugal TNS EUROTESTE 1.038 17/11/2009 08/12/2009 8.080.915 3.505.292 RO Romania TNS CSOP 1.008 14/11/2009 27/11/2009 18.246.731 7.381.000 SI Slovenia RM PLUS 1.017 13/11/2009 06/12/2009 1.748.308 745.000 SK Slovakia TNS AISA SK 1.047 14/11/2009 27/11/2009 4.549.954 1.900.344 FI Finland TNS Gallup Oy 1.041 17/11/2009 08/12/2009 4.412.321 2.486.781 SE Sweden TNS GALLUP 1.014 13/11/2009 06/12/2009 7.723.931 3.830.037 UK United Kingdom TNS UK 1.322 13/11/2009 03/12/2009 51.081.866 24.479.453

TOTAL 26.761 13/11/2009 09/12/2009 406.827.648 202.018.051

For each country a comparison between the sample and the universe was carried out. The Universe description was derived from Eurostat population data or from national statistics offices. For all countries surveyed, a national weighting procedure, using marginal and intercellular weighting, was carried out based on this Universe description. In all countries, gender, age, region and size of locality were introduced in the iteration procedure. For international weighting (i.e. EU averages), TNS Opinion & Social applies the official population figures as provided by EUROSTAT or national statistic offices. The total population figures for input in this post-weighting procedure are listed above. Readers are reminded that survey results are estimations, the accuracy of which, everything being equal, rests upon the sample size and upon the observed percentage. With samples of about 1,000 interviews, the real percentages vary within the following confidence limits:

Observed percentages 10% or 90% 20% or 80% 30% or 70% 40% or 60% 50%

Confidence limits ± 1.9 points ± 2.5 points ± 2.7 points ± 3.0 points ± 3.1 points

e-communications household survey summaryec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/... · 1....

Documents